Microsoft, UK ask for two-month pause of appeal over Activision deal
By Sam Tobin LONDON Microsoft on Monday asked a London tribunal to pause its appeal against Britain's block
1970-01-01 08:00
Marriott enters licensing deal with MGM to boost presence in the Las Vegas strip
Marriott International said on Monday it entered a licensing deal that will allow its loyalty members to earn
1970-01-01 08:00
"Hell no:" Plane full of singing Taylor Swift fans sparks debate
Taylor Swift fans made the most of their delayed flight and decided to have a Swift-themed sing-a-long, but it's received a mixed response online. Swifties were travelling back home from Denver after watching The Eras Tour after the Anti-Hero singer performed her first night in the city in Colorado. Clearly wanting the concert to continue, most of the people on the flight began to sing Swift's hit 'Love Story,' in a viral clip posted by Hannah Hazlett (@han._.haz). Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The video shows passengers in their element as they recorded the sing-a-long on their phones while others also turned on their flashlights and swayed along to the country pop song. For the video caption, Hazlett tagged Swift, Taylor Nation and Southwest Airlines. @han._.haz @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift @Southwest Airlines Since sharing the clip, it has gone viral with over 1.2m views, 228,000 likes, and plenty of comments from fellow Swifties who loved the rendition. One person said: "I WANNA BE IN THAT PLANE." "This would make my flying anxiety disappear," another person wrote. Someone else added: "Taylor Swift really is THAT powerful." "A core memory for these people," a fourth person commented. The video also went viral on Twitter where others felt differently about the singing, with many expressing that they wouldn't be a fan of this if they were a passenger on this particular plane. Although there were some who defended the Swifties, and argued it was all just a bit of fun. Elsewhere, Taylor Swift becomes the first woman to have four albums chart in the top 10, TikToker goes viral with Taylor Swift 'dark energy' conspiracy and 26 of the best reactions to Taylor Swift fans getting presale tickets. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
New drone footage of Bigfoot hailed as ‘the best’ yet
Bigfoot, Sasquatch, tedious old hoax – call it what you like, but the hairy beast remains one of the world’s most beloved and enduring mysteries. For centuries, sightings of the evasive forest-dweller have been reported across North America and, since the advent of portable cameras, there’s been an endless stream of “snapshots” and “footage” of the monster. One such video has recently been doing the rounds on TikTok, after it was shared by an influencer known as The Paranormal Chic. In a clip captioned “Bigfoot is real”, the TikToker told her followers that she was posting the footage because she “firmly believe[s] it's one of the best recordings of what looks to be like a Bigfoot caught on camera.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter She explained that it was filmed using a drone by a Vermont-based YouTuber called Kens Karpentry, who was “looking for a mama bear in her cubs when he encountered this unidentified creature” at the end of last year. The video shows the camera gliding over a snow-strewn forest as Ken’s voice can be heard gasping: “What in the world? What is that?” As he continues to gush: “That’s incredible,” a tall, furry figure (which, to us, looks not dissimilar to a man in a gorilla costume) can be seen walking through the trees. “No way. Are you serious?” the aghast-sounding Ken goes on, as he zooms in on the creature whose footsteps can clearly be heard crunching through the snow. @the_paranormal_chic What do you think, Bigfoot or Hoax? #bigfoot #bigfootisreal #bigfootsighting #sasqautch #bigfootspotted #yeti #yetitok #yowie #wildman #unitedstates #legends #mystery #unsolved #theparanormalchic #paranormal #fyp The Paranormal Chic’s video, racked up thousands of views in less than 24 hours, as commentators offered their take on the “evidence”. “PREACH!!! HE IS REAL, I get such flack for believing,” one wrote. “I believe it. But [...] have a drone drop it closer to the ground next time for [a] better angle,” suggested another. However, others weren’t so convinced. “I believe in BF (Bigfoot) but not this video. The man sounds too phoney and BF would probably hear the drone,” wrote one sceptic. “How come you hear the footsteps in the snow? Hoax,” concluded another. And a third asked: “Why not follow for longer to see where it was headed? Why not go back on foot to see [the] traces? Why not take [the] drone down [for a] closer look. So many questions.” Sasquatch, Bigfoot or a Bear? Not Real www.youtube.com And yet, if you check out the original video, posted to YouTube, Ken makes it pretty clear it was all a light-hearted prank. When one viewer wrote: “That's a KenSquatch! A very rare breed!” He replied simply: “Indeed.” And when another said: “Ken, for years and years I've been a harsh critic of those who believed in Sasquatch, castigating and criticizing any who believed in such foolishness. But clearly your evidence is both irrefutable and unquestionable!” He wrote back: “Haha thanks for watching.” Still, there has been renewed interest in the mythological man after authorities in New Mexico issued a “Bigfoot warning” to residents. Earlier this month, the Taos County Sheriff’s Office shared a post to Facebook “reminding” its community of the “do’s and don’t’s when encountering Sasquatch”. The instructions included: “Do not chase Bigfoot; do not yell at Bigfoot; do not feed Bigfoot,” but also, interestingly: “Do take pictures.” And yet, for all of the jokes and hoaxes surrounding the legend, there are some important reasons why some people still genuinely believe the beast exists. As journalist Ben Crair wrote in a 2018 article for Smithsonian Magazine: “The hunt for Bigfoot emulates an earlier mode of discovery, when new knowledge was not the product of advanced degrees and expensive machinery but rather curiosity, bravery, patience and survival. “In the 19th century, the American landscape revealed its majesties to ordinary settlers pushing westward into territory unmapped by Europeans. To track Bigfoot today is to channel that frontier spirit (as well as to appropriate Native American traditions).” He added: “Bigfoot also embodies other less romantic but no less enduring American traits, like gullibility and a hunger for attention.” Crair pointed out that the quantity of fake Sasquatch “footage” had been exacerbated by social media, with one expert telling him that whilst he believes there is legitimate evidence of the creature’s existence, it's almost impossible to sort the wheat from the chaff. “Technology has ruined the old cryptozoology,” Loren Coleman, founder of Portland’s International Cryptozoology Museum, told him. “[Loren's] complaint echoes concerns in more mainstream American life, where technologies that promised to build consensus have, in fact, made the truth more difficult than ever to discern,” Crair continued. “On the internet, Bigfoot has found a habitat much more hospitable than North American forests. It turns out that Bigfoot does not need to exist in order to live forever.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Russian inflation expectations jump to 11.1% with rate decision imminent
MOSCOW Inflationary expectations for the year ahead among Russian households climbed to 11.1% in July from 10.2% in
1970-01-01 08:00
Joe Manchin fuels speculation around third-party 2024 run with No Labels event
Sen Joe Manchin is continuing to feed speculation about his political future by appearing at an event with No Labels as he weighs whether to make a third-party run for president. The West Virginia Democrat will appear at the event on Monday night in New Hampshire, which holds one of the first presidential nominating contests and is a crucial swing state in the general election. No Labels, a centrist organisation, has pushed for a third-party candidate for president. But some Democrats have feared that a No Labels-backed candidacy would siphon votes away from President Joe Biden and enable former president Donald Trump to win another term as president. In May, the organisation said it opposed Mr Trump’s candidacy. “We don’t believe there is any “equivalency” between President Biden and former President Trump, who is a uniquely divisive force in our politics and who sought to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power after he lost the 2020 election,” the statement written by co-chairmen former senator Joe Lieberman and Benjamin Chavis said. “But we reject the notion that No Labels’ 2024 presidential insurance project would inevitably help former President Trump’s electoral prospects if he were the Republican nominee.” Mr Manchin, a conservative Democrat, has not yet indicated whether he would stage a third-party run for president or seek another term in the Senate. Were he to run in 2024, he would be seeking another term with a Republican at the top of the presidential ticket. In 2020, Mr Trump won every county in West Virginia. Throughout the first two years of Mr Biden’s presidency when Democrats controlled both the House and the Senate, Mr Manchin served as the swing vote in a 50-50 Senate. His opposition to Build Back Better, Democrats’ proposed social spending bill, ultimately killed the legislation. Last year, he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer resurrected talks that led to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. But since then, Mr Manchin has criticised the Biden administration’s implementation of the law. West Virginia Gov Jim Justice, a former friend of Mr Manchin, announced his candidacy to challenge the incumbent. He is heavily favoured to face Mr Manchin, himself a former governor, in the general election. Mr Manchin has said he will decide his political future by the end of the year. Despite his indecision, he raised $424,485.52 in the most recent fundraising quarter from March to July and he has more than $10.7m in cash on hand. Read More Arizona Democrats file complaint against No Labels over donor secrecy Biden’s economy pitch: Campaign like Reagan while refuting Reagan’s policies
1970-01-01 08:00
Author who duped Greg Abbott with fake Garth Brooks story calls him ‘one of the dumbest people in the country’
Greg Abbott has been branded “one of the dumbest people in the country” by the author of a satirical story about country music star Garth Brooks that was reshared by the Texas governor. Christopher Blair runs the parody website The Dunning-Kruger-Times, which posted the story that Mr Brooks had been booed off the stage at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree last month after calling his conservative fans “a**holes.” The entire story was made-up - but Mr Abbott didn’t seem to notice. “When I saw [Mr Abbott’s repost], I was besides myself with joy,” Mr Blair told The Guardian. “He’s one of the dumbest people in the country.” “As soon as I wrote the headline, I said to myself that it might be a little bit much,” Mr Blair said. “But it wasn’t.” The Texas governor had tweeted a link to the story on 25 June with the caption: “Garth Brooks Booed Off Stage at 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree. Go woke. Go broke.” “Garth called his conservative fans. ‘a**holes’ Good job Texas,” he added. His tweet seemed to refer to a question-and-answer session with the country singer last month in which he said his new bar in Nashville planned to “serve every brand of beer,” shutting down the idea that it wouldn’t serve Bud Light, following the conservative-led boycott of the beer brand. “Our thing is this: If you come into this house, love one another,” Mr Brooks said. “If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway to go.” The governor has since deleted his tweet, but reactions to the tweet are still up. Democratic Texas Congressman Greg Casar tweeted: “Gov Abbott just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad.” “The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern,” he explained. Read More Greg Abbott mocked after falling for hoax story about Garth Brooks being booed off stage Garth Brooks commended for not bowing to anti-LGBT trolls and refusing to boycott Bud Light First Amendment group sues Texas Governor and others over the state's TikTok ban on official devices Wembymania set to hit Las Vegas, as Spurs rookie 'can't wait' for his NBA debut at Summer League Joe Manchin fuels speculation around third-party 2024 run with No Labels event George Santos repays himself $85K raised from lackluster reelection fundraising
1970-01-01 08:00
Mexico intercepts over 500 migrants in two days
By Brendan O'Boyle MEXICO CITY Mexican authorities on Sunday said they intercepted over 500 migrants in two days
1970-01-01 08:00
Bills: 3 backup plans after missing on DeAndre Hopkins
Sean McDermott’s team failed to land talented wideout DeAndre Hopkins. Do the Buffalo Bills have a backup plan to bolster their pass-catching corps?It’s not secret that the reigning AFC East champions have been looking to add more offensive weapons to compliment talented Buffalo Bill...
1970-01-01 08:00
Thai alliance reaffirms backing for Pita's second PM bid
By Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) -An eight-party alliance seeking to form Thailand's next government reaffirmed its backing
1970-01-01 08:00
Ford Cuts Price on Electric Version of F-150 Truck by Up to 17%
Ford Motor Co. is slashing prices on the electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup by as much
1970-01-01 08:00
Tunisia-EU migration: Deal signed to strengthen borders
The memorandum of understanding includes $118m to stop smuggling and return irregular migrants.
1970-01-01 08:00
